Phillies Notebook: Phils' skipper decides Utley needs a day off

Chase Utley got his first day off since returning from a 7-week layoff due to thumb surgery. It was a logical spot.
The Phils were playing a day game after a night game and were facing Nationals lefty Scott Olsen. Utley has three career home runs against Olsen. But, he entered yesterday's game just 5-for-30 with 10 strikeouts overall. The eight regular position players who started had combined to go 43-for-130 (.331) with nine homers, nfl jersey
seven doubles and a two triples off Olsen, including Ryan Howard's 14-for-32 with two homers and three doubles and Jayson Werth's 10-for-20 with three homers and two doubles.
"He played 5 days in a row," manager Charlie Manuel said of Utley. "I just wanted to sit him down. He was starting to stride real quick, get over his front side. I felt like maybe we could give him a break. He was out, what, 6 or 7 weeks? It's kind of like spring training all over again for him in some ways."
Utley had started five straight games since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 17, reaching base in the last four, and going 4-for-18 with a double, two walks, an RBI and three runs scored.
In an 8-1 loss to the Nationals Saturday, he was 0-for-3 with a walk. He has struck out just once since returning.
"Utley's kind of funny because sometimes he can go and come back and jump right out and start swinging pretty good," Manuel said. "But I noticed in the last 3 or 4 days I felt like he probably needed a little rest. He needed a break."
Utley's replacement, Wilson Valdez, grounded into an inning-ending doubleplay with runners on first and second in the second, but hit a two-run single, after Carlos Ruiz was intentionally walked to load the bases, with two outs in the sixth, to give the Phils a 4-0 lead.
The NaturalRoy Hobbs, he ain't. But Roy Oswalt did go 2-for-3 with a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
singles for his 15th career multihit game and his first since June 29, 2009, against the Padres. Oswalt made a valiant effort at his first three-hit game, sending a hard-hit fly to left-center in the sixth inning that ultimately died in the glove of leftfielder Roger Bernadina. Don't expect to see such power rear its head with any sort of frequency: In 596 career at-bats, Oswalt has eight extra-base hits (seven doubles and a home run). To put that in perspective, Cole Hamels already has nine career extra-base hits - all doubles - despite 300 fewer at-bats.
Division foesThe Phillies have won four consecutive series against NL East teams, going 9-3 during that stretch. Their 25-22 record against the division is tied with the Marlins for the best winning percentage among the East's five teams. Atlanta, which leads the Phillies by 2 1/2 games, is 23-21. For the next 2 weeks, the Phillies make a foray through the NL West and NL Central, with series against the Astros (home), Padres (away), Dodgers (away) and Brewers (home), along with a rescheduled rainout in Colorado on Sept. 2.
No matterOswalt said he doesn't mind missing a chance to face his old teammates. The Phillies begin a four-game series against the Astros tonight. Because he pitched yesterday, Oswalt will be the only Phillies starter not to pitch.
"It doesn't matter," said Oswalt, who was in his 10th season in Houston when he Minnesota Vikings jersey
was traded. "Once you step across the lines, nobody is really friends no more."
PhillersHeading into the series, J.C. Romero hadn't pitched in 8 days and had allowed five earned runs in his previous four outings while recording just three outs. But he followed up 1 1/3 scoreless innings on Saturday with a scoreless inning yesterday . . . Since Aug. 1, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick are the only Phillies starters to be charged with losses.